My Experience at the White House

Monday, February 16, 2015

So I went to the white house…

When my cousins first told me I could just walk up to the white house, I found it hard to believe. I mean, I have never heard of people just walking up to Aso Rock in Abuja. I might be wrong o, but I have never heard of it.

My uncle continually used the trip to white house to tease me, so when my cousin asked me if I wanted to go to the white house since we were going to drop a family friend at Howard University, I instantly said yes.
It was quite inconvenient because we had to leave our car somewhere, and take a train in the winter, and I had just recovered from a 2-day illness which I never told anyone about, but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity.

So off we went to the white house, we took some pictures and left. I don’t think we spent more than 10 minutes there.

There were just two policemen in front of the house, gisting away, where we were taking pictures. That is all. There were a few other tourists taking pictures, and I was wondering aloud how the place will always be crowded during summer. How many security men, guns, and bomb detectors would we encounter just because we want to get to the front of Aso rock, even before the era of boko haram? But we know the country that is more secure. It’s really not about the gra gra or the showmanship.

In my mind, I was like so this is the white house, the one I always see on TV, in movies, the one and only famous white house. It looked so ordinary, just like a regular house in the neighbourhood, though peeping into the compound, you could see that it runs deeper inside. But from the front view, it was one of the smallest around, and not imposing at all.

As I walked away, I told myself that the next time I visit white house, I will be going inside, and it won't be as a tourist.

Anyway, so that’s all I have to say for now. I went to the white house, and even though it was a surreal experience, it wasn’t that much of a big deal. Very ordinary, no intimidation, no security men, just a regular house from the outside.

Dwight Eisenhower Building, just beside the white house

The White House

I tried to sneakily snap the police men, but I remembered what Nigerian policemen do to our phones when the see us do this, so I quickly kept my phone, after one crappy shot.

Like you said, it's not about the gragra. If you try any funny business around there, you'll be caught so fast that your head will spin. Lol @ brain freezing and Amen at entering the white house next time.

Lol now you make me miss when i lived in the DMV area, even though i only went to the WH once and because my sister literally forced me to go. I'm so weird, i never enjoy visiting all these places as a tourist when i live there. Then i find myself regretting it when i move. Lol.

That's so cool.. I should visit it..I think we take things like that for granted cos we think o its just there I can go any time.. You should come to my side of town! It will be nice meeting you and I can take you to the parliament buildings

@ilola, shebi I haff told you to make me your bag carrier on this trips...lol....the way these oyinbo leaders demystify some of our leaders iyanga ehn.....to imagine aso rock is shrouded in so much mystery when the the white house is open for tourist visits is annoying.